Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools

The Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (Math Olympiads) is a math problem-solving contest for teams of up to 35 students in fourth through eighth grade. Created in 1977 by Dr. George Lenchner, an internationally known math educator, the first Math Olympiads contests began in 1979. During the 2016-2017 school year, nearly 170,000 students from 6,000 teams worldwide participated in the Math Olympiads. All 50 states and about 30 other countries were represented.

The goals of Math Olympiads are to foster an enthusiasm and a love for mathematics; to introduce important mathematical concepts; to teach important strategies for problem solving; to develop flexibility in solving mathematical problems; to strengthen mathematical intuition; to foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity; and to “provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges.”

Angelus Academy students who join our school’s Math Olympiads teams take five monthly contests between November and March. Each contest consists of five non-routine problems. Every problem has a time limit, and students may not use calculators. Each student, working alone, scores one (1) point for each correct answer; thus, a student may score up to 25 points per year. The team score is the sum of the ten highest individual scores, taken after the fifth contest.

Our school’s elementary Math Olympiad team is open to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders and is coached by Mrs. Rickards. Our middle school Math Olympiad team is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and is coached by Mrs. Hunt. Sixth graders may choose either group. Awards for both teams are announced at our graduation in June.

The following Angelus Academy students have received awards for their performance in past years’ Math Olympiad contests:

2019 – 2020

Elementary grades 4-6

Middle School 6-8

2017 – 2018

Elementary grades 4-6

Middle School 6-8

2017 – 2018

Elementary grades 4-6

Middle School 6-8

2016 – 2017

Elementary grades 4-6

Ethan L. (Top 25%)
Catherine H. (Top 40%)
Cecilia L. (Top 40%)
Juliana T. (Top 50%)

Middle School 6-8

Aimee K. (Top 20%)
Sebastian L. (Top 30%)
Jon S. (Top 40%)
Mark T. (Top 40%)

2015 – 2016

Elementary grades 4-6

Sebastian L. (Top 10%)
Ethan L. (Top 30%)
Alexis B. (Top 50%)
James H. (Top 50%)

Middle School 6-8

Mark T. (Top 20%)
Alice H. (Top 40%)
Sebastian L.
Katie M.

2014 – 2015

Middle School 6-8

Mark T.
Katie M.
Max M.